Florida Injury Attorney Blawg

In November, 2012, the Supreme Court of Florida, in Cevallos v Rideout (No. SC09-2238), issued an opinion that buried a misguided and out-dated 2009 decision by the Fourth District Court of Appeals. (Contemporaneously with its decision in Cevallos, the court issued a similar opinion in Birge v. Charron, No. SC10-1755 (Nov. 21, 2012).) The opinion…

Effective civil trial lawyers punish individuals, corporations, and governments for irresponsible behavior. One of the biggest culprits has been the auto industry. Thanks to large jury verdicts, the industry has been forced to knuckle under to the public’s demand for safer vehicles. However, safety issues remain. Safety belts could be more effective. Vehicles could be…

The Jones Act (46 U.S.C. § 30104) is the primary law used by seamen to recover compensatory damages from their employers for injuries sustained in accidents occurring on navigable waters. To recover under the Jones Act, an injured seaman must prove that employer negligence caused the accident. This means that the Jones Act is not…

The elements of defamation are that the Defendant published a false statement, that the statement was communicated to a third party, and that the Plaintiff suffered damages as a result of the publication. Axelrod v. Califano, 357 So.2d 1048 (Fla. 1st DCA 1978). In some instances, a qualified privilege exists in the communication. For the…

Winning may not be a victim’s only concern in a personal injury case. Collecting on damages awarded post-victory can be of equal or greater importance. Not every tortfeasor (at-fault party) is adequately insured or has the independent financial means to satisfy a court judgment. In some instances a non-negligent party, one, perhaps, with the resources…

Our previous blog addressed Florida’s statutory scheme, known as NICA (Florida Birth-Related Neurological Injury Compensation Association, Sections 766.301-766.316 Florida Statutes (1988), for providing “compensation, on a no-fault basis, for a limited class of catastrophic injuries that result in unusually high costs for custodial care and rehabilitation.” See Section 766.301(2) Florida Statutes (1988). NICA is the…

Claiming that medical malpractice premiums being charged to obstetric physicians were becoming dangerously high, in 1988 the Florida Legislature enacted legislation creating the Florida Birth-Related Neurological Injury Compensation Association (“NICA”) (Florida Statutes 766.301 – 766.316). The Legislature’s stated intent was to reduce medical malpractice claims by providing “compensation, on a no-fault basis, for a limited…

Most business establishments today maintain some form of video surveillance to capture events, including accidents and assaults, that happen in and around their property. The key to resolving premises liability claims fairly to all concerned — the injured person and the property owner — is by determining fully what happened. Frequently, the information has been…

Fault is an essential element of proof in every Florida personal injury negligence case, including motor vehicle accident cases. To recover for losses (economic and property) and personal injuries, the complaining party must prove that his/her damages were caused by another party’s negligence. Although evidence of who was ticketed by the investigating law enforcement officer…

By failing to comply with statutory (and regulatory) (deJesus v. Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, 281 So.2d 198 (Fla.1973)), industry (Seaboard Coast Line R. Co. v. Clark, 491 So.2d 1196 (Fla. 4th DCA 1986), and company safety standards (Steinberg v. Lomenick, 531 So.2d 199 (Fla. 3d DCA 1988), rev. denied, 539 So.2d 476 (Fla.1988) and Mayo…